1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile bridge of great length as a support construction for at least one transport means, having at least two bridge segments disposed in a row one behind the other, which in turn are connected with one another at their faces. The invention furthermore relates to a method for operating such a bridge.
2. The Prior Art
Mobile bridges of the type stated have been known for a long time. These are bridge constructions that support at least one transport means for the transport of solid or liquid transport goods, such as a belt conveyor, a pipeline, and/or the like. Because of their mobility, these bridges allow frequent displacement of specifically these transport means, with little effort and expense.
Thus, such mobile bridges find use, for example, for the transport of bulk goods over long distances. They are preferably used where large dumps are built up or removed in face operations, and very frequent displacement of the face belt by short distances is necessary. In this connection, the bridge moves forward in steps, in the complex, with the related recovery devices or set-down device, by means of self-propelled traveling mechanisms, in the transverse direction of same, i.e. in the longitudinal direction of the dump complex. After this setting step, the recovery device is able to take up the next segment, or the set-down device is able to pile up the next segment.
A bridge of great length, having a plurality of bridge segments disposed one behind the other, which in turn are connected with one another at their faces, and carried by self-propelled traveling mechanisms, is known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,155,400.
The individual bridge segments are connected with one another in articulated manner at their faces, both in the vertical plane and in the horizontal plane, whereby a traveling mechanism is assigned to each bridge segment and is rigidly connected with each bridge segment.
It is true that each traveling mechanism of the bridge, which is estimated as statically indefinite, takes up a defined load, but longitudinal equalization as a result of temperature variations, for example, and/or support lowering movements and accompanying constraints and undefined stresses have not been taken into consideration. The traveling mechanisms must be operated as precisely synchronous as possible, in order to keep the bridge segments in the desired orientation relative to one another, particularly in the longitudinal direction of same. The bridge formed by means of the bridge segments can only travel through curves having a very large radius by means of different speeds of the traveling mechanisms, in the present case caterpillar mechanisms, or transverse to the transport direction.
Furthermore, a large number of solutions is known, which in turn disclose the known bridge principle “beam on two supports” as well as improvements of bearing mechanisms in this regard (DE 42 05 557 A1, DE 11 14 443 A, DE 36 27 961 C1, DE 41 28 130 A1, DE 17 59 306 A, DE 41 21 360 A1, DE 295 11 784 U1). Essentially, here one of the two bearing mechanisms of the “beam on two supports” is configured in such a manner that it permits a pivoting movement of the bridge segment relative to the assigned traveling mechanism, about a horizontal pivot axis oriented transverse to the longitudinal direction of the segment, and otherwise is configured to be rigid. The other bearing mechanism, on the other hand, permits not only pivoting mobility but also displaceability of the bridge segment in the longitudinal direction, and is otherwise configured to be rigid.
Finally, a device for transporting heavy loads is known from FR 2 266 645 A1, whereby lift cylinders are provided in the traveling mechanism carrier of the traveling mechanism, which is equipped with a known pair of caterpillars, which cylinders carry a lift platform that can be locked onto the load to be transported, by means of clamping devices. The lift platform is centrally connected between the lift cylinders with the travelling mechanism carrier, by way of a journal that is guided to move vertically, in such a manner that a tilting movement of the platform relative to the vehicle and a rotational movement of the vehicle relative to the lift platform clamped to the load is possible. The lift platform can accordingly be connected to rotate and tilt with the journal, by way of a spherical shell. Furthermore, it is described that in the case of a platform rigidly locked to the load, there is the possibility of getting the vehicle into any desired travel direction by means of driving the caterpillars of the vehicle in the opposite direction.